The Coaching Role in Change Management

Can you recall a time when you experienced a major change in your organization? Maybe you experienced what I did when my small technology employer was bought by a big East Coast conglomerate.  My first thoughts were – maybe we’ll have more resources, maybe we’ll get a chance to do more cool stuff and maybe we won’t always be worrying about funding.

But the word funding triggered my mind to a primal fear – maybe they’ll lay all of us off and just buy our products – what about my job?  What about my family?

Like others around me, I experienced a roller coaster of emotions.  I was excited that maybe now we could do some really amazing work.  On the flipside – I was confused about all the changes – I was afraid and anxious about what the changes might mean for me, my team, and my family.

Change can be disruptive, both professionally and personally.  Change can affect who we believe we are as a person, our place in the company, our sense of belonging, and our relationships with coworkers, clients, and customers.

Utilizing coaching and a coaching approach to change can channel both the positive and negative emotions to serve productive outcomes for the organization.  Coaching allows managers and employees to acknowledge “what is” and shift their mindset to acceptance and away from resistance.  And coaching can deal with the “chicken little” syndrome – and help employees take a more balanced look at circumstances instead of blowing things out of proportion.  Only at that point can employees begin to consider next steps and constructive action to support change.

When a change management leader takes a coaching approach and acknowledges the perceived fear and the actual anxiety it brings, they are fostering trust and transparency.  This begins a more organic transition to the new future.  It allows employees the space to adjust to the loss of the “old” and shift into the potential of the “new.”  It gives them the time to align with a new vision and understand how they fit in.

Successful change leaders attend to the emotional well-being of company employees and their families.  Encourage employees to express their emotions. Encourage Managers to hold one-on-one meetings with employees, and meet with employees in small groups.  Allowing employees to share stories—and feelings— helps them to develop a greater sense of control over the changes, improves morale, reduces absenteeism, and builds trust between managers and employees.

Whether your role is leading a team, or supporting others to manage change successfully, here are a few tips to help you coach your employees and team as you embark on your change initiatives:

The Coaching Approach:  Listen, Acknowledge and Celebrate, Provide Safety and Support to Move On.

• Accept that even the most capable and committed employees can experience confusion, anxiety, and doubt – along with their endorsement and enthusiasm and for the change.
• Don’t try to talk employees out of their emotions.
• Make it safe and okay for employees to express their emotions.
• Provide safe opportunities for employees to vent, one-on-one, and in small groups.
• Allow employees to say goodbye to the past and to remember celebrate their accomplishments.
• Provide support to allow employees to move forward and embrace the future.

When emotions are acknowledged, and employees are treated with respect, they are more likely to engage with change.

Organizations that support a health coaching culture supporting emotional expression can build employee commitment to change and implement change successfully.